During 2010 we again published information about many new sensors products from different
manufacturers. Here's our editorial selection of those that we found the most interesting
from innovation point of view, focused first of all on smart and intelligent
features. All these products have passed a two-stage
selection: fist - for publication in the Sensors & Transducers Magazine as
most interesting and relevant products; second - as most innovative products among all
published in the Magazine during 2010. You'll find a brief description of products. If your interesting
in more detailed description please check out the online version of this press
release, which provides links to the vendors mentioned.

Editor-in-Chief

Sensors
& Transducers Magazine

Top Sensors Products of 2010

Sponsored Links:

Technology
Assistance BCNA 2010 S. L., - a spin-off SME, has announced a starting
of production and distribution of popular IC of Universal
Frequency-to-Digital Converter UFDC-1
and its high speed version UFDC-1M-16
for the first time in Europe. Both ICs are fully digital, CMOS,
two-cannel universal frequency-to-digital converters that can work with
any sensors from frequency-time signal domain group and convert
frequency, period, its ratio and difference, duty-cycle, duty-off
factor, PWM signal, time interval, pulse width and space, rotation
speed, pulse number and phase shift - to - digital. The UFDC-1 and
UFDC-1M-16 have a high and constant selectable accuracy (programmable
from 1 to 0.001 %) in a wide frequency range up to 7.5 MHz (120 MHz),
scalable resolution from to 2.5´10-7
Hz to 45 Hz and non-redundant conversion time. Both ICs can work in 16
measuring and one generating (8 MHz, quartz stabilized rectangular
pulses) modes and have 3 popular serial interfaces: RS232, I2C and SPI
...

Variable Capacitance Accelerometer Series with
TEDS Capabilities. Meggitt Sensing Systems, has announced the recent introduction of
Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) capabilities into its industry
best-selling Endevco® model 7290D series, allowing it to be used within
larger channel count applications. The model 7290D series is a
high-accuracy, variable capacitance (VC) accelerometer family, offering
exceptional thermal stability, reliability and performance within flight
test, engine testing and other extreme temperature testing environments. Offered in five different models with available measurement ranges from
2 g to 100 g, the patented design of the Endevco® model 7290D series
(U.S. patents 4,574,327; 4,609,968; and 4,999,735) incorporates a VC
sensing element with gas damping and internal over-range stops, allowing
the sensor to survive significant shock and acceleration loads of up to
10,000 g, with 2.5 % total dynamic accuracy. Units feature excellent
non-linearity, including hysteresis, of typically 0.2 % for ranges of 2 g
to 50 g ...

Incremental Magnetic Ring Encoder.ASM Sensors, Inc. has announce the addition of new magnetic encoder rings,
PMIR7 series, to the POSIROT® family. These
incremental encoder magnetic rings are available in three sizes to
accommodate different shaft sizes and yield up to 184,320 pulses per revolution
in conjunction with the quadrature encoder read head, PMIS4 series. Both units
were designed to operate in harsh environments. This non-contact incremental
encoder system consists of a magnetoresistive read head, PMIS4, and a dual
channel magnetic ring, PMIR7. The sensor head is completely enclosed in a metal
housing and generates the industry standard A, B, Z output pulses for quadrature
detection with reference mark. The PMIR7 magnetic rings come in three sizes that
can be quickly press-fitted onto 27, 35 or 50 mm shaft diameters. This precise
and robust encoder system can generate up to 184,320 pulses per revolution ...

New Flow
Meter for Compressed Air and Gases.
Only by knowing your exact compressed air and process gas costs will you
be able to unearth significant savings potentials. Irrespective of pressure and
temperature, the EE771 flow meter from E+E Elektronik measures mass flow or
volumetric flow in your supply system with the greatest accuracy. The flow meter
can be used effectively to measure the consumption of compressed air, nitrogen,
helium, argon, oxygen or other non-corrosive gases.The design of the new EE771 flow meter is based on the direct thermal
mass flow measuring principle. At its heart is an E+E hot-film sensor element
proven over several million installations in the automotive industry. Two
outputs are available. They can be configured either as analogue outputs
(current or voltage), switching outputs or pulse outputs for measuring
consumption ...

The Most
Accurate and Durable Smart Position Sensor Available in the Industry
Today. Honeywell has introduced the SMART Position Sensor, 75 mm Linear
Configuration, the most accurate linear position sensor available in the
industry (0,05 mm [0.002 in]), enabling highly accurate motion control,
and improving operation efficiency and safety. Its simple, non-contact
design eliminates mechanical failure mechanisms, reducing wear and tear,
improving reliability and durability, and minimizing downtime. "SMART"
stands for Superior Measurement, Accuracy, Reliability, and Thinking.
The SMART Position Sensor can essentially think for itself. It uses a
patented combination of an ASIC and an array of magnetoresistive (MR)
sensors to determine the position of a magnet attached to a moving
object. For design engineers, the SMART Position Sensor provides design
and interface flexibility because of its air gap of up to 3,0 ± 2,5 mm
[0.118 ± 0.098 in] between the sensor and the magnet, and a variety of
output options (analog standard; CAN bus and RS232 interface available)
...

PowerMeter Designs
for Smart Energy Monitoring.
Microchip Technology Inc., has announced the result of its strategic
partnership with Google PowerMeter-the first Reference Implementation of
the Google PowerMeter API for embedded developers. Designers now have a
quick and easy way to enter the global energy-conservation market, by
creating products for the measurement and monitoring of energy usage
with Microchip's Google PowerMeter Reference Implementation and its
broad portfolio of 16- and 32-bit PIC(r) microcontrollers,
energy-measurement ICs, Ethernet controllers, and radios for ZigBee and
embedded Wi-Fi wireless networking. "Google is helping to
foster an ecosystem of devices and utilities that will provide consumers with
access to their energy information, and we're excited to be working with
Microchip, a strategic partner in enabling consumer devices," said Ed Lu, Google
PowerMeter program manager for advanced projects. "Microchip's Reference
Implementation of the Google PowerMeter API will make it much easier to create
products that are compatible with Google PowerMeter." ...

High-Performance, Low-Power MEMS Gyroscope Enables Applications in Harsh
Industrial Environments.
New applications for MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) motion
sensors are evolving in the industrial automation, medical, and
instrumentation markets where much higher performance is required than
is typically found in motion sensors designed for consumer applications.
To address this growing demand for more accuracy, stability, and high
vibration and shock resistance, Analog Devices, Inc. has developed the
high-performance, low-power ADXRS450 iMEMS® gyroscope with digital
output specifically for angular rate (rotational) sensing in harsh
environments. Leveraging ADI’s previous three generations of
industry-leading MEMS gyroscopes, this fourth-generation device features
an advanced, differential quad-sensor design that enables it to operate
accurately under intense shock and vibration conditions ...

16-bit Sensor Signal Conditioner with Integrated DSP for High Accuracy
Measurements. ZMD AG,
has introduced a class-leading 16-bit sensor signal conditioning IC (SSC).
Developed for resistive bridge sensors, the ZSSC3017 combines high
accuracy amplification, 16-bit precision analog-to-digital conversion,
and an 18-bit DSP for linearization and calibration functions. The
highly integrated CMOS device offers performance accurate enough for
altimeter/barometer systems, data merging with GPS receivers, strain
gauges, medical gas and infusion pumps, and robotics. The conversion
characteristics of resistive sensor bridges are generally non-linear and
temperature-dependent. Sophisticated signal processing for
amplification, linearization and compensation of the effects of the
temperature is required. To deliver the highest possible accuracy, the
ZSSC3017 features an analog front end with multiple flexible programming
options, including an on-chip temperature sensor and fully differential
signal paths. The IC topology uses a second-order charge-balancing ADC
leading to less than ±0.5 % (FSO) accuracy error over the full
industrial temperature range of -40 to +85 °C ...

Lightweight,
Miniature Triaxial IEPE Accelerometer
Family. Kistler
Instrument Corporation has announced
the North American market debut of Type 8766A, a new range of lightweight,
miniature triaxial PiezoStar® IEPE accelerometers. These high-precision
sensors offer simultaneous shock and
vibration measurement capabilities in three orthogonal axes, with
exceptional stability and performance across a very wide range of
frequencies and operating temperatures. Available in ranges of ±50 g, ±250 g
and ±500 g, the low-noise Type 8766A incorporates Kistler’s own proprietary
PiezoStar® shear element crystal technology, together with high-gain
internal hybrid microelectronics, to produce a sensor that can reliably
operate over a wide dynamic frequency range, yet offer ultra low sensitivity
variation over its operating temperature
range, with high immunity to base strain errors. Available options include a
high temperature version to +329 °F (+165 °C) and TEDS capabilities for
larger channel count applications ...

Highest-resolution Miniature Digital Pressure Sensor Module with
Ultra-low Power Consumption for Long Battery-life.
Measurement Specialties, has just released for
production, the Model MS5607-B digital pressure sensor featuring 24-bit
resolution and the industry’s lowest current consumption. This device
also features a fast conversion rate of 0.6 ms at 8-bit resolution to
8.3 ms at 24-bit resolution. Current consumption of 0.9 uA at one
conversion per second (8-bit) to 12.5 uA (24-bit) and resolution
selection per conversion enables optimum application-specific
power–performance trade-offs to be realized. This device is optimized
for ultra-high precision pressure measurements in the 10 to 1300 mbar
range allowing development of personal navigation (PND), personal
location devices (PLD), smart-phone inertial-navigation, in-building
navigation and social alarm applications down to 5 cm ...